Coulson tied for first at mid-amateur tournament

Unfamiliar with Abercrombie Country Club — host course of this weekend’s MCT Insurance men’s mid-amateur championship — the Truro golfer played in last month’s Abercrombie Spring Invitational to help him get accustomed to the par-71 track.

Fortunately for Coulson he was paired with Abercrombie member Kevin Scott, who ended up winning the June 7-8 invitational. Whatever Coulson learned during that weekend he put it to good use on Friday.

The 47-year-old fired a first-round 1-under 70 and is tied for the lead with Oakfield’s Matt Vaughan at the 54-hole provincial tournament.

“For both days at that invitational, I got to see how a member plays this course,” Coulson said Friday. “I definitely took a lot from that and used it today.”

Coulson and Vaughan, the only two golfers to post red numbers, are two strokes clear of defending mid-am champion Trevor Chow of Ashburn and Lingan linkster Bill Burns. They each shot 72.

Vaughan, who, like Coulson, started his round on No. 11, had a birdie on 13 and bogeys on 16 and 18 before the turn. But after his second bogey, the 29-year-old was dialled in. He collected nine pars and a spectacular eagle on the par-4 fifth.

Playing in calm morning conditions, Coulson reeled off three straight birdies on Nos. 12-14 and another on the par-5 17th. He was 4-under after his first seven holes.

“I went on a little streak there,” Coulson recalled. “I chipped in (for birdie) on my second hole of the day and that seemed to get things going for me. It’s certainly a nice way to get started.

“The conditions were great in the morning. There was very little wind, the rain yesterday softened the greens so you could go at the flags. The wind came up on the back nine but I held it pretty good. Everything today, tee to green, was great.”

After finishing in a tie for 42nd at the Nova Scotia amateur earlier this month at Brightwood, Coulson took a week sabbatical from the sport. The week away seemed to help.

“I wasn’t happy with how I played in the amateur so I put the clubs away,” Coulson said. “I just pulled them out on Wednesday and had six birdies during a round at my home course. It felt like I wanted to be back on the golf course again.

“Sometimes you need to get away just to get those juices flowing again.”